What is Broad Form Car Insurance?

Drive Happy – Instant Proof of Insurance

Many people ask about insuring their drivers license, which is officially called a Broad Form or Broadform policy. It is also called Named Operator Coverage or, more popularly, ‘Drivers License Insurance.’

Broad Form Named Operator Coverage is very different from typical auto insurance. Instead of buying insurance on a specific car (or cars), insurance is purchased for a specific driver. You pay the same amount whether you own or drive one, three, or even twelve cars

This is a perfect policy for you if you own several cars or if you frequently borrow other people’s cars and want to make sure you have insurance in case they don’t.

You can, and we recommend you do, purchase uninsured motorist and personal injury protection on a broadform policy in case you or your passengers are seriously injured in an accident.

A Broad Form Named Operator policy should not be confused with its poor cousin, the Non-Owner policy. The difference is that the Non-Owner policy only covers cars you don’t have regular access to drive. So any car owned by you, parked at your residence, or lent to you frequently is excluded from coverage.

Washington is one of a handful of states that allows Broad Form Named Operator policies to be offered.

What Does Broad Form Insurance Cover?

Be Insured – Broad Form Insurance

A Broad Form policy provides the same type of liability coverage that comes with standard insurance, meaning if you cause an accident your insurance company will cover the claim up to your policy limits.

The policy covers you, the named insured on the policy, to drive any car, owned and non-owned. If anyone else is driving, your policy does not provide any coverage. Period.

Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage Can Be Added

Uninsured Motorist can be added to a Broad Form policy so that you, your passengers, and your car will be covered if someone else hits you. Either their insurance will pay, or if they have none, your company will act as if they had the other driver insured, pay you, and then go after the other driver to get their money back.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Can Be Added

Personal Injury Protection medical coverage can be added to your Broad Form policy so that you and your passenger’s medical bills will be covered no matter who caused the accident (No Fault Coverage).

What are the Benefits of a Broad Form Policy?

Broad Form – Drive (Almost) Any Car

A Broad Form policy provides liability insurance for you, the specified driver, no matter how many vehicles you may own or drive. In other words, if your hands are on the steering wheel when the accident happens, your insurance will cover you whether you own the car or not.

Broad Form Coverage – Drive legal for less.

Pay one low price whether you own one car or many.

Insure Yourself Instead of Your Cars.

You don’t need to own a vehicle to get a Broad Form insurance.

You don’t own a car or you frequently borrow from someone else.

Broad Form coverage is available with or without an SR22 filing.

You don’t want to tell your preferred insurance company that you need an SR22.

Liability Insurance While Driving Any Owned Cars

Your regular policy only covers your owned cars that are specifically listed on the policy. With a Broad Form policy, any car you own is covered while you are driving.

Doesn’t matter if you own 0, 1, or 12 cars. And your rate does not change if you buy another car because vehicles are not listed on your policy.

Liability Insurance While Driving Non-Owned Cars

This is another area a Broad Form policy offers more coverage than a traditional car insurance policy. A regular policy also covers you when you borrow someone else’s car but only if the borrowed vehicle is not available for your regular use. A Broad Form does not have this restriction.

For example, if you borrow a car frequently or it is parked at your address, then your regular car insurance policy will not transfer to the borrowed car unless that car is listed as a covered vehicle on your insurance policy.

So, your Broad Form policy will cover you while driving a non-owned vehicle no matter how often you drive it.

Meet State Liability Requirements

You can avoid unnecessary tickets for driving without insurance.

If you have ever considered driving without insurance, think again. In Washington state, driving without insurance can get you a hefty fine of $450. Get legal for less today.

Broad Form Named Operator Coverage satisfies Washington state’s liability insurance requirement, covering bodily injury and property damage you may cause while you are driving, whether you own the car or not.

What are the Drawbacks of Broad Form Policies?

A Broad Form policy does have some limitations which need to be considered:

You are not covered if someone else drives your vehicle. Your broad form insurance policy will not cover any damages they do even if you, the vehicle owner, are held responsible for the damages.

You are not covered while driving a motorcycle, motor home, moving van, or motor scooter.

You are not covered when the motor vehicle is being used in any type of business or commercial occupation.

You are not covered when the motor vehicle is being driven in any racing, demolition or stunting contest or activity.

Comprehensive and Collision aka “Full Coverage” cannot be added.

Why is Broad Form Insurance So Cheap?

A Broad Form policy is less expensive than a regular liability-only policy because the insurance company is only on the hook to cover accidents caused by the driver named on the policy. The policy basically excludes every other possible driver in the world.

Regular car insurance policies are on the hook if you let your cousin with 2 DUIs and 3 accidents borrow your car. The broad form policy does not have to worry about (or cover) this exposure, called “permissive use”.

If you will never let anyone else drive your vehicle, then you are paying extra for coverage that you will not use. However, if you ever let someone drive you home or drive part of a road trip in your car, they are driving uninsured.

Does Broad Form Cover Repairs to My Car?

No, comprehensive and collision coverages cannot be added to a Broad Form policy.

If you cause an accident, your insurance will cover the damage to the other vehicle as well as any injuries for which you are responsible. But it will not cover repairs to your vehicle because that would come under collision coverage which is not available on a Broad Form policy.

Of course, if the other driver is at fault, their insurance should cover the repairs to your car and any injuries you sustain.

We also recommend you add Uninsured Motorist Coverage to your broad form policy so that if they do not have insurance, your uninsured motorist will step up and cover your and your passenger’s injuries and any damage to your car, just as if the other driver did have insurance.

If you finance a car that requires physical damage, we can convert your policy to a regular policy or write a second policy to cover the new purchase.

What is Different About a Broad Form Policy?

The main difference between a Broad Form and a regular car insurance policy is that the Broad Form policy only is in effect when you, the person whose name in on the insurance policy, is driving.

The other difference is that you do not have to keep the insurance company updated with which cars you want insured.

Motorcycles, RVs, and Business Use Vehicles are Not Covered

A Broad Form policy only covers regular passenger type cars and pickups for personal use. If you are driving a car for business use, you will need commercial vehicle insurance. Any motorcycles, motorhomes, etc would also need a separate insurance policy.

We do offer a Broad Form Motorcycle Policy that works the same way, covering any and all motorcycles that you might drive.

Are SR22s Available on a Broad Form?

Since a Broad Form satisfies Washington state’s statutory car insurance requirements, an SR22 filing can be added to it so that you can get your license unsuspended.

If you have vehicles insured by a preferred insurance company and want to avoid getting cancelled or having your rate increase if they find out you need an SR22 endorsement, you can purchase Broad Form SR22 insurance and keep it separate from your current preferred insurance.

Is Broad Form Auto Insurance a Suitable Option for You?

You will need to take all of this into account so that you can make the best informed decision.

A non-owner policy may be a good fit for you if:

You do not own a vehicle but still want insurance.

You borrow vehicles frequently and want to be certain you are covered.

You own multiple cars and no one else ever drives them.

You need an SR22 but do not own a vehicle.

You need an SR22 but don’t want to tell your preferred insurance company.

Companies That Offer Broad Form in Washington State

Some companies offer the Non-Owned Vehicle type of Broad Form but that policy is designed only for people who don’t own a car and don’t have regular access to a car. We can but do not sell this kind of policy because it is too restrictive. This is the only kind sold by companies like Progressive, The General, Geico, etc.

To the best of our knowledge these are the only insurance companies that currently offer Broad Form Named Operator policies in Washington state:

National General Insurance

Dairyland Insurance

Kemper Specialty Insurance

Bristol West Insurance

Because Broad Forms are our specialty, we represent all 4 of the above companies. So just give us a quick call to find out how inexpensive a Broad Form policy can be for you.

How to Get the Best Deal on Broad Form Insurance?

Like all other types of car insurance coverage your rate depends on risk factors such as your age and driving record. Each company weights these factors differently so it is important to shop around to find the company that “likes you” the most.

Luckily we can do the work for you, getting a Broad Form quote from each of the companies and giving you the choice of picking the company that offers the best payment plan for you.

If you are interested in getting a Broad Form insurance policy or just want a quote, call us or fill out the quote request form. One of our licensed insurance professionals will be glad to answer any questions you have and find you a great rate.

Small Print: This is just a summary of broad form named operator coverage. For a complete detail of all policy terms, conditions, coverages, and exclusions, please speak to a licensed insurance agent and refer to your policy and the broad form named operator endorsement.

Testimonials & Referrals

You will not regret calling Mid Columbia Ins. They work with numerous agencies to find the best rate for you and your needs. Never any judgement for situations your in or financial restrictions. My agent is Daisy and she is always there for me with fast and quality service!

Michelle Anderson-Moore

Efficient, professional, friendly and kindly willing to work to find a way to make things work… Teen drivers, how policies in this state differ, nuances in personal property coverage for the home, and more!… Kyle was happy to make the effort to earn my business. I was with State Farm for well over 20 years but their coverage is no longer the same. Thanks to Kyle, I’m more than content with the change.

Jeanna Hernandez

Estevan was very helpful in getting me a rate that was half of what I was paying before. Thank you for your help and I look forward to working more with your office.